The Truth of the Matter
by Written Angel
Summary: Truth is gained by knowledge. Yet even that can be skewed, obscuring truth once more. Though perhaps there's more involved within discovering truth then meets the eye. "Books shouldn't be judged by their cover or people by how the appear." She whispered definitely, determination sparking in her eyes. "What's on the inside is what counts, and that's the truth of the matter."OcXBruce
1. Chapter 1

**_Alrighty folks, here is the new(ish) and improved version of my story _**_Taking Chances. **That story will soon be deleted and I plan on actually continuing all the way to the end (and possibly beyond) with this)**_

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_Memories plaque her dreams, turning her only escape into the nightmare that was her life. Her daily life isn't much better; filled with having to hide because of the constant fear of being found is so profound. She trusts no one. For trust is what has caused her to be ripped from her family and turned into a monster. Leaving her with no hope for the future. Although, she has always suspected someone was keeping an eye on her, but that suspicion had been shrugged off and ignored until the day she was found._

It was a rainy day in late summer, and Marina had opted stay in her hideaway rather than venture out into stormy weather for much needed supplies. Suddenly the light creaking of the warehouse door was heard and, by a flash of lightning, Marina saw it swing shut. She didn't know if it was the other half of herself or her own fears, but anyone who dared entered her few places of sanctuary was immediately a threat. A low growl came forth from her throat as she spun to face her intruder.

"Ms. Oswell," a man dressed in black said. His one uncovered eye looking directly into her own.

"What do you want?" Marina demanded, her form slowly changing eliciting fangs to protruded from her mouth.

"I am here to offer you a proposition as well as a guarantee" The man replied.

Marina's eyes narrowed. "What sort of guarantee?"

"You will be protected from the people who, unlike us, wish to use your...abilities for their own purpose."

"And what happens to make you oh-so-much better than _them_?" Marina snarled, green eyes flashing to a chartreuse. "Please do come up with a better lie than that. It will give me some fun while I decipher you truths from tale." She cocked her head. "Tell me what it is you really want and skip the long story. Any lies from that mouth of yours will cost you your vocal cords. Do I make myself clear?"

The man kept eye contact as he reached into his jacket. From it, he pulled out a manila folder. "Here," he tossed the folder onto the ground. "Everything you need to know is in there." With that the man turned to walk away when Marina stopped him.

"How do I know this isn't some ploy to strap me down and turn my insides out?"

"All your questions will be answered by what I've given you. And should you decide you're ready to come to us, SHIELD I mean, go to the base a few miles outside of the town. Show anyone that stops you this." He tossed her a small flat disk with a star on it which she caught easily. "They'll let you pass." He started to walk away when he stopped. "Oh, and do try not to alarm anyone. These people are quite trustworthy."

Marina frowned, bending down for the folder. "Yea well that's something I don't do."

The man chuckled as he continued walking away. "Better start."

Casting one last glare in the direction the man had gone; Marina sighed and opened the folder. It was gonna be a long night, and she might as well get started on her reading.

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**_Tadah! As you can see (for those who know how this originally went) I didn't change much, The chapter is still actually the same amount of words as the last one oddly enough. However, I would like everyone's opinions on this and for all I care it can be a word long. So do me a REALLY big favor and press that lovely blue review button at the end of the page. I hope to get some responses from all who read. Tooteloo for now my chickies, I'm off to dinner and then it's on to editing the next chapter!_**

**_Chao!_**

**_~Angel_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Okey dokey peeps, I have successfully completed the editing of chapter two. Again not much has changed but I wasn't really expecting it to. Anywho, I hope you enjoy yourselves!_**

**_Disclaimer: I only own Marina_**

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Marina stared down at the giant base she had been told about. It far from civilization and a perfect place to relieve her nightmares. The pin dug into the palm of her hand as her fingers clenched tightly.

_I must be the dumbest person alive. _She thought glancing upward towards the dark clouds that refused to leave.

With a shake of her head, Marina gave leave for her form to shift partially as she began running the last few miles to the base. Rapidly, her speed began increasing as she fought to keep control. Two hundred meters from the base, Marina pushed back her other half and struggled to contain it. Thus her body retracted most of the unnatural forms in order to return to normal just as she reached the base gates. The guards standing there barely had time to react as she flashed the pin in their directions and entered the concrete fortress. Mentally going through the directions given in the folder again, Marina followed them to the letter until she ended up on an entirely empty floor of the building. Or so she thought.

"I trust that you will do everything you can to harness the cube's power, Dr. Selvig." a recognizable voice said from around a corner.

Marina's ears perked up considerably, catching two sets of footsteps. Cube? Power? What was this Fury guy up to that required harnessing the power of some cube?

"Of course, Commander Fury." Selvig said, his voice suddenly adopting a concerned undertone. "But what about the girl you told me about? What has she to do with Phase Two?"

"Nothing, and I plan to keep it that way."

At that, Marina realized Fury and Selvig were coming closer and if she didn't act quickly, she'd be caught eaves dropping. Swiftly, and silently, she moved back quite a few paces and made it look as though she had just entered the floor when the two men rounded the corner.

"Ah, Ms. Oswell." Fury said stepping forward motioning the cautious man behind him to follow. "This here is Erik Selvig. He is the scientist who works on our higher level projects. Dr. Selvig this is Marina Oswell; the girl I told you about who is much like Dr. Banner."

"Ah, yes the Hybrid." Selvig took a step forwards and held out his hand. With the other he pointed towards her head. "It's very nice to meet you. That's a lovely pair of auricle you have. Ears, I mean."

Marina did her best to appear indifferent to one of the side effects of the testing done on her and brushed off the comment. Reaching out, she shook his hand before quickly pulling it away. Minimal contact was for the better. "It's nice to meet you too, Dr. Selvig." She said, trying to keep her disdain for his profession from leaking into her voice.

Selvig chuckled lightly. "Please, call me Erik, and as much as I'd love to continue talking to you, I have a lab to get back to. I also believe Fury has been wanting to speak to you."

"Yes, thank you, Selvig." Fury nodded, gesturing for Marina to walk with him as he turned to leave.

"Um, bye, uh, Erik." Marina said, the taste of saying someone's first name foreign on her tongue. Of course while it was strange, it almost made her feel like she was wanted. _Almost._

Moving to catch up with Fury, Marina jogged a little until she was able to match the Commander's brisk pace.

"So, have you decided to join SHIELD?" Marina snorted and her eyes rolled to the ceiling.

"I'm here aren't I?"

Fury spared her a glance as they turned down a series of confusing hallways, all of which looked the same. "That's not what I am asking, Ms. Oswell. I am asking, are you _prepared _to join SHIELD?"

Marina sighed. She really hadn't given that question much thought because she knew her response would change to that it had always been before. No. _No _she didn't want to. _No _she wasn't going to. No, No, No; but finally she had decided to say yes to something and there was no way she was backing out now and returning to the running her life demanded. No matter the consequences, trials, or fears she had to face. She was finally going to say 'no' to running and 'yes' to fighting.

Taking a deep breath, she prayed the right word would slip out of her mouth. Locking eyes with Fury, she opened her mouth;

"Yes."

A fleeting smile graced Fury's face as he opened a door Marina hadn't noticed when she stopped. "Welcome to SHIELD, Ms. Oswell."

* * *

The room was bustling with what Marina could only assume to be a great multitude of SHIELD agents. No one took notice of them as both her and Fury moved through the crowd towards the agent standing at the center of the hurricane.

"Agent Coulson." Fury said catching the shorter man's attention. "This is Marina Oswell. I am placing her under your care and jurisdiction. Make sure she gets placed through everything that needs to be done."

Coulson nodded as he stepped around Marina. "Ms. Oswell, if you'd follow me please."

Marina flipped her gaze between the two men; both had begun walking away indifferent directions. With a huff, she ran after the less scary one.

"Hey, um-uh...Coulson! Hey, Agent Coulson, wait up!" Coulson turned around watching as the petite girl caught up to him. Once she had, they resumed walking at not quite as brisk pace. "So, what, exactly, does Fury mean when he said I am 'under your care and jurisdiction', hmm?"

"What it means, Ms. Oswell, is that I am to help you adjust to being here at SHIELD; as well as keeping you out of harms way and making sure everything required for you being here at SHIELD is completed."

Abruptly, Marina stopped walking and frowned. "First off, I don't need your protection. I'm doing a fine job of that on my own. Secondly, what _is _everything I'm required to do?"

Coulson held back a sigh. "It's a bunch of tests and training. We're also going to need some information on your hybrid form, seeing as our current information is...lacking."

"Basically what you're saying then, is that I'm going to become a lab experiment after all?" Her voice was rising as she tried to keep her self calm. Now was not the time to go Hybrid. There was too many people in too small of a space. Innocent casualties and deaths were not something she wanted on her conscience.

"No, not a lab experiment. We want to find out what is inside of you so we can help you control it. I will be overseeing every test personally and you will have the best team of doctors-"

"No!" Marina slammed her fist against the closest wall, creating a dent. Coulson didn't jump even though Marina winced at her uncontrolled other half. Taking a deep breath she pushed the thought of running away out of her mind. "No, I-I want...Erik."

Coulson was clearly as surprised as she was with what just came out of her mouth. "Selvig?"

"Mhmm." Marina nodded, deciding it was best just to go with it. "And only him. No team of doctors, but if you wanna or have to be present, then go for it. Besides, he's the only one of you people that I've seen so far with even a hint of a personality."

He nodded. "Alright, I'll ask Fury."

Coulson started to walk again when Marina spoke again. "One last thing..." Coulson stopped. "You got anything I can cover these with?" She pointed up to her ears and Coulson chuckled lightly.

"Come with me."

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**_All done! Personally the next chapter is my all time favorite of what I've written for this and I'm excited to edit it and make it even better. Squee! Also, you guys should look down, and not all that far from here is this rectangular button with the word "Review" on it. You should all click that (or tap) and hit me up with a review! Please? Till next time my sweets._**

**_Cheerio,_**

**_~Angel_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers (sadly), only Marina._**

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Half an hour later saw Marina in her (temporary) SHIELD uniform that was far too tight and clingy for her tastes, not that they mattered of course, as she waited for Coulson and Fury to finish talking. On occasion, a SHIELD agent would walk by giving her a curious once over making her feel uncomfortable as she would continuously pull the jacket hood to cover her face.

_What is taking so long? _ Marina wondered crossing her arms in a huff.

Leaning back, so she hear their hushed conversation better, Marina closed her eyes just as a barely familiar set of footsteps reached her ears.

"Marina?" Selvig asked, stopping to look at the girl. She was clearly uncomfortable, though she was resting against the wall, and the jacket she was wearing, to hide her ears, nearly dwarfed her in size. "What are you doing out here?"

Opening her eyes, Marina gave a shrug, "I'm waiting for Agent Coulson to finish talking to Fury."

"Phil?" He rolled his eyes. "If I know anything about that man, he'll be in there for _at least_ an hour." Marina huffed.

"Well that sucks. I've barely managed sitting here for the past five minutes, how on earth am I gonna last an hour?"

Silence spread between the pair as each remained occupied with their own thoughts. Casting a glance at the small girl, Selvig couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he took her along with him while Phil continued his conversation. Surely they wouldn't mind too much, and if they did, he doubted Fury could find another astrophysicist trustworthy enough to work on phase two. Not to mention he already knew so much….

"Marina…" Selvig started before drifting off.

Marina's eyes shot to his. "Yes?"

"How-how would you like it if I should you around SHIELD?" Her eyebrows disappeared in her unruly brown hair.

"You mean it?" Selvig kept back a chuckle at the slight childish excitement that slipped into her voice. Immediately, a light blush crossed her features as she struggled to support her integrity. "I mean if it isn't too much of a hassle 'cause you know, I've got nothing to do for the next hour…"

This time he did laugh. "No hassle at all my dear."

Reaching down, Selvig pulled Marina to her feet and tucked on of her hands in the crook of his elbow, something one will pick up after spending enough time with a certain demigod. Marina almost pulled away at the unexpected contact but with an encouraging look from Erik, she allowed herself to be led around the massive base of SHIELD.

"And this is my lab." Selvig said as the glass door slid open.

It had taken much persuasion and reassurance to convince Marina his lab was perfectly safe and nothing like a doctor's lab or the medical bay. Of course she had still been a bit reluctant when they were nearing the room, but as soon as they had entered, Selvig could tell she was glad she had agreed in seeing it. Her face light up at the advance technology in the room that she had clearly never seen. Like a little child stepping into a candy shop for the first time, Marina moved cautiously as if afraid that one wrong move would cause this new-found experience to vanish. Lightly she stepped up to one of the computers and tapped the screen. Immediately, the machine sprang to life eliciting a small squeak from Marina. With a laugh, Selvig moved to stand beside her.

"This is one of SHIELD's high-tech computers. This version is saved for top projects and scientists." Marina gave him a slightly confused expression. "Only geniuses like me can have them." His tone joking as it got the desired reaction.

Marina laughed for possibly the first in years. She didn't know what it was about Selvig that she found she liked, but having someone not tip-toe around her was a nice change of pace. Not to mention he actually contained personality unlike all the other SHIELD agents they had passed during their tour.

"How does it work?" Marina asked, curious about the object she had only seen when she was captured.

Selvig rubbed the back off his neck. "Well it's…um…here." He moved to stand on the other side of the screen. "You know how a computer work right?"

Marina nodded. She got the gist of how it worked having seen them used multiple times.

"OK, well, this is a touch screen. There are three basic systems used to recognize when a person is touching the screen. The first is the resistive system; which consists of two layers. The normal glass panel covered in a conductive and the resistive metallic layer. Now both layers are held apart by spacers, little-"

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, Marina was storing away this information. Of course she knew she'd never be able to fully grasp the concept of _how_ a touch screen works, but it awakened a small part of her mind she didn't know existed.

She wanted to _know_.

For some reason every word that came out of Erik's mouth fascinated her and made her want to learn as much as she could, which was odd considering the one thing she hated more than her family when she was younger, was school and learning. But now she wished to see the world from a new angle, and discover things for herself.

"And so, all three systems work together in order for the screen to register you're touch. See?" Selvig reached up and tapped a few things on the screen as Marina nodded in understanding. "Alright, you give it a try."

Hesitantly, Marina copied Selvig's movements as she tapped the screen. As time continued to move around the pair in Selvig's lab, Marina found herself slowly becoming attached to the astrophysicist, and a part of her thought maybe she could learn to trust again: starting with a certain Erik Selvig.

However, at that current moment, two men were watching the security feed.

"Sir, are you sure letting her hang around Dr. Selvig is a good idea?" Coulson asked without looking at his superior.

"There's a chance it might do more damage than good, but I have a hunch it will work in our favor." Fury replied moving away from the monitor. "Let her stay with Selvig awhile, but when I want you to gain her trust as well, so she will also be loyal to us and may even allow some testing to be done, but once Selvig gets more into phase two, I want her moved to the Helicarrier. Is that clear, Agent Coulson?"

Coulson tried to refrain from sighing and arguing with Commander Fury. Pushing his opinion back, he gave a curt nod, "Yes, Sir."

Fury nodded, the only sign of approval Coulson received as the dark-skinned man turned away. Clearly dismissing his top agent. Not needing to be told what to do, Coulson spun on his heel and left the room to travel through the hallways.

A light frown pinched at the corners of his mouth as his mind mulled over the conversation he had with his superior as his feet led him to his destination. In the agent's mind Fury's whole underlying plan seemed quite manipulative, but then again, he always made sure he had his ducks in a row, and there was no better person to trust than the spy even if he tended to be misleading just to give a person the right push-

"Ah, Phil." Selvig's voice cut into Coulson's thoughts. "Have you finally emerged from your meeting?"

Immediately, Coulson's eyes locked on the two people in the room. Oswell had made herself mildly comfortable on a counter next to one of the computer screens. Her muscles were slightly tense and he knew she was ready to bolt should the need to arise; however, it seemed the doctors' presence kept her relatively calm. Interesting.

Coulson's eyes flickered to Selvig. He was standing not far from Marina but there was questioning in his old eyes about his sudden appearance.

Maybe he could sooth any and all nerves in one go. "Fury has instructed me to tell you that Dr. Selvig is in fact allowed to be in charge of your tests Ms. Oswell." The brunette visibly relaxed. "However, I am to be present for all tests and Agent Barton has been requested to test your skills in combat not about your hybrid form."

Both patrons blinked as they took in all the information laid out before them. Inside, Marina felt something leap at the fact her request had been meet, yet she as almost snarled upon realizing that someone, she had no clue about, was supposed to fight her. Couldn't they ask questions and have her run on a treadmill or something? Next to her, Erik felt his eyes widened a touch. He certainly hadn't expected anything that had come from the agent's mouth. Although, his eyes did roll at the name of Fury's ever vigilant assassin that kept watch on him 24/7.

"The hawk?" Erik came close to scoffing. "How do you plan on convincing to get him out of his nest?"

"Easily, no agent can refuse a direct order."

Marina stiffened. So this hawk/agent/Barton/ person was to be forced to fight her as apart of her testing? That seemed hardly fair.

As if sensing her displeasure, Coulson reassured the brunette that Agent Barton would comply before it came to that.

Turns out though, it took more.

Upon meeting, it seemed as though Barton took his irritation at being removed from his post close to the ceiling out on Marina. And in return, Marina didn't hesitate to return the favor.

Off to the side, Selvig and Coulson watched the interaction between the two.

"I'd say it's going rather well." Erik said taking a sip of coffee that he had gotten at some point along the way.

Phil's eyebrows rose."They've been non stop arguing and glaring since they laid eyes on each other. I would hardly classify that as well." Erik merely waved away his concerns.

"Look at it this way, Clint hasn't gotten a wink of sleep since I've been sure to keep him all hours of the night and into his own agenda, it's only natural he'd be more on edge. Also, little Marina there happens to be on the defense because of this but she's doing an absolute brilliant job of controlling herself. Currently she could be seven-foot tall, raging, animal hybrid and we would all be crushed under foot, none the wiser of what occurred."

As the astrophysicist took another sip of his drink, Phil pursed his lips. Selvig had a rather logical point and it took a second for him to catch his train of thought.

"Are you implying this is going to result in them getting along?" Erik frowned and sighed.

"Unfortunately, it seems that I am. And here I was hoping she would end up sharing my views."

A rare smile cracked at the corner of Phil's lips as he turned his eyes back to the pair. Maybe he wouldn't have to be as involved in Fury's plan. But then again, it wasn't all that bad of an idea to be apart of.

**_Alrighty, so I did little to nothing with the original content of this chapter but the last half of this is 110% brand new. Mostly cause I wanted this chapter to be longer and to integrate the other characters relationship with Marina a bit before I dove into the more movie-verse part of this story. Besides that, it helps pieces of the plot line a tone and I am quite found with how it turned out to be. So what do you think? I hope Selvig, Coulson, and Barton don't seem to ooc, but if they do PLEASE let me know! Oh, and please leave a review as well!_**

**_Gracias!_**

**_~Angel_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_I am so totes on this, it makes me quite proud if I do say so myself. So here I present to you all my fourth chapter. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do._**

**_Thanks for joining:_**

**_SniperKingSogeking0341_**

**_krazzylizzy12_**

**_InLoveWithSongs_**

**_Munnin12_**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Avenger, but I do own Marina._**

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Something bad was happening.

Marina didn't know what of course, but the unnerving feeling in the back of her mind had kept her awake that night.

Stumbling out of her bed, she grabbed the earpiece sitting on the bedside table and clipped it to the base of her right ear. Then moving over to stand before the mirror she made sure the unstable molecule clips Tony had made were still securely held on her ears and working to cloak them. Once certain everything was in place Marina ducked out of her room and headed for the bridge. Upon entering, she found the one person she was looking for was now missing. With a huff, she walked up the Agent closest to her.

"Hey, you there." Marina said, catching his attention.

"Yes?"

"Where's Fury or Hill?"

The Agent blinked, confused, but answered the question. "Director Fury and Agent Hill left not that long ago. Apparently Agent Coulson required their presence at a base. We were only informed of the basics, ma'am."

Nodding her head, Marina turned on her heel and scrambled to climb up into the little alcove near the ceiling; if she learned anything from the male assassin it was to find a spot where you can see everyone yet no one could see you. Swinging over the rail, her eyes scanned every computer for any sign of what could be happening. When she saw nothing of use, a growl left her mouth and she pressed a finger to the earpiece.

"Damn it, Clint! What's going on down there?" She demanded having decided to ask the one person who was seeing everything.

There was a pause before a wry chuckle was heard. _"You've been hanging around me too much. I don't think Selvig's gonna like that."_ Clint responded, allowing Marina to relax ever so slightly.

"Just answer the question."

"_Ok, ok, geez... from what can see it seems as though the scientists are losing control of the cube; almost as though its being tampered with."_

"Is it someone on our side?" Marina asked, hoping it wasn't Selvig.

Clint sighed, knowing the direction her thoughts were taking. _"Relax; it isn't Selvig or anyone on our side for that matter. Everyone's clean at least as far as I can tell. If there is any tampering, it wasn't on this end."_

Marina sighed. She was familiar with Clint's doorway analogy and even agreed with him, no matter how much she wished it wasn't true.

"_Fury's here…should I keep you posted?" _Clint asked.

With a huff she nodded. "Yeah, open communications. I want to hear everything that goes on in that room."

There was a light click and a small chuckle. Marina could practically see Clint smirking. _"Yeah, no one does that better than you."_

"_Agent Barton, report." _Fury's voice entered into the conversation.

Stilling her breath, Marina waited for things to continue.

"_I gave you this detail so you could keep a close eye on things."_

"_Oh, I see better from a distance."_

"_Have you seen anything that might set this thing off?"_

There was a pause and woman's voice sounded in the background.

"_No one's come or gone. Selvig's clean. No contacts, no IMs. If there's any tampering, sir, it wasn't on this end."_

"_On this end?"_

"_Yeah, the cube is a doorway to the other end of space right?" He paused, most likely for dramatic effect. "Doors open from both sides."_

Suddenly there was a loud explosion and Marina could hear the cube activating. For a while everyone was silent until Fury spoke,

"_Sir, please put down the spear."_

"Clint, what's happening?" Marina's voice rose up an octave as the sound of things exploding entered her ear.

"_We're being attac-uuu__gh." _Came Clint's voice.

"_You have heart." _ A new voice said. It was new and different, but with the clarity at which she heard it, Marina knew who ever it was they were very _very_ close to Clint.

"Clint?" Marina asked worriedly. "Clint who's that? What did they do to you?"

Clint didn't respond and instead the communications link was just off. Growling in frustration, she switched channels and began to listen through Fury's walkie-talkie.

"_Loki?" _Selvig said. _"Brother of Thor?"_

Marina stopped. _Loki? Thor's brother? The god of Thunder Selvig had so fondly told her about? And Loki, the god of Mischief and Lies who had tried to take over his father's kingdom? Why did he come here? Better yet how the hell did he get here?! _Marina's head swum with questions. All without answers; resulting in a massive headache for the girl. Things began happening rather quickly at that point. She could hear all that was going on but her brain was having trouble registering any of it. Before she knew it, things had come to an end and Fury was speaking. She could hear the graveness in his voice, and slowly, she managed to sort out the chaos of her mind. Barton and Selvig had been compromised. Loki had the Tesseract. And they were now at war with an otherworldly being.

Sniffling, Marina suddenly found herself attacked by emotions she hadn't felt in years and tears began making their way down her face.

Eric. The man had taught her so much more than she thought she'd be able to learn, took her under his wing and made her feel as though she had, no _did_ belong. And with Clint, despite their immediate disliking of each other, after spending so many days in his "nest" because Eric was too busy working and didn't want her to get in the way, they had managed to form a bond of sorts even when he found out about her ears. Hell, he'd even gotten her, her current jacket so that they matched yet she could hide the side effects of her life when the insistent buzzing of the clips became to much.

Gritting her teeth, she refused to succumb to them as she wiped furiously at her face. Neither Eric nor Clint would want her crying at a time like this. She had to be strong. She had to help. She wasn't about to sit back and do nothing but run and hid like she had for the past eleven years.

Determination flooded Marina's system as she stood up in her alcove.

The memory of first entering SHIELD came forth in her mind and suddenly she was glad she had agreed to join. She met people that she could trust and befriend. Barton, Selvig, hell even Coulson had become a apart of the small thing she considered her life. Because of them and their efforts, she was able to be control the storm of animal instincts, and abilities inside of her that had become known as Saachi when she "suited up" and could manipulate the form into the smaller basic body of a wolf that allowed her to communicate effectively with Saachi.

Of course that really hadn't been _fighting_ as more like _training_, and now was the time to put those skills to use.

Now she was gonna start fighting; for Eric, for Clint, for her family, for the world, for herself. And, for freedom.

Marina had been up the rest of the night going over everything she had heard and trying to fill in as many missing blanks as she could. Of course, by the time Hill and Coulson had returned, she hadn't gotten very far.

She had heard their plane coming close before it had landed on the Helicarrier, which then give her enough time to make it through the vents to the bridge. Reaching upwards, she pulled off the vent covering and climbed into the tight space. Moving quickly, she crawled through the ventilation shaft to the opening above the debriefing area. The covering landed on the table with a clatter as Marina followed closely behind. Picking up the momentarily discarded square and putting it back in its space, she managed to sit atop the table just as the two agents entered the bridge.

"Coulson, Hill." Marina said, only receiving a nod from the two people in return.

"I need to debrief you on some things before I give you a mission that's to be out in the field." Ah, yes, always straight to the point with Coulson.

Marina cocked her head and her ears flattened to complete her begging look (she'd ditched the clips at some point in the night). "Does that mean I have to get off the table?"

"It's not like you'd listen unless you'd absolutely have to." Coulson said; he handed her one of SHIELD's high-tech computers and made sure to tap her ears as well.

"I'm offended!" She swatted at his hand before setting up the computer. "I hear everything that is said-I just tend not to follow it unless necessary."

Coulson chuckled lightly despite the situation at hand. "Of course, but that means you should know what happened last night and I won't need to debrief you."

"Now you insult me." Marina clicked her tongue, quickly going through the computer files. Stopping at one in particular, her eyebrows shot up before furrowing together. "The Avengers initiative? I thought this was shut down last year."

"Not quite. The team of people are meant to be here as consultation. Fury is merely gathering them together because he believes they will be able to find the Tesseract, and if need be, save the Earth. Though we all hope it doesn't travel that far."

"You're already at war, so you're kind of asking for global catastrophe." Marina muttered too quiet for Coulson to hear. Lifting her gaze from the screen she shot him a questioning glance. "Where do I come into all of this?"

Coulson bent down a touch and moved the computer slightly towards himself. "If you look towards the bottom," He flicked the screen downwards so her picture popped up. "You've been added to the initiative; but for _now_, we need you to go with Agent Romanov to get the 'Big-guy' just in case something happens."

"I get it. Send the raw instinct to protect." Marina frowned. "But why would I need to help in getting Stark? The man likes me ten times more than Romanov _and_ he likes Saachi. So, why is she coming?"

"You've misunderstood. I've got Stark. You two are getting the '_Big_-guy'."

Before she could reply, Coulson wiped out his phone and was already dialing some number as he walked away. Scrolling up the screen, Marina tapped on the Hulk's file, only to be shock by what she saw. Of course she _knew_ she shouldn't have been, but this was insane. As she read through the file she came to the conclusion that his…change was her fault. It had occurred around the time the U.S had found out about what their enemies were creating and, apparently, General Ross wanted a weapon like her of their own.

Hands shaking, Marina closed the computer and set it aside. People like Ross made her sick, and made her, or rather Saachi; want to rip them to shreds. Closing her eyes, she banished those thoughts from her mind as she took deep and calming breaths. Needing a distraction, she tuned into Coulson's conversation with Black Widow.

"_Where's Barton now?" _Romanov said and Marina involuntarily flinched. No, this was no time for emotions to get out of control.

"We don't know."

"_But he's alive?"_

"We think so. I'll brief you on everything we know when you get back. I'm sending Oswell with you. You two get the 'Big-guy'."

"_Coulson, you know that Stark'll trust me about as far as he can throw me." _Marina laughed. She knew that was right. "_But _why_ is Oswell coming?"_

"You can ask her yourself when the jet picks you up. As for Stark, I got him. You two get the _'Big-_guy'." He shut his phone and turned to Marina. "Go get on the plane, it's leaving in a few minutes."

Marina waved her hand as she hopped off the table. "Yea, yea, no need to tell me twice. Though do say 'hi' to Tony for me, and remind him to grab me my suit if he's finished it."

"Of course," Coulson replied just as the door shut behind her.

Sighing, she began jogging towards the hanger. She'd only met Natasha Romanov once and needless to say, the two hadn't gotten along all that great. But for Clint's sake, well, she'd try though she wasn't guaranteeing anything.

Upon reaching the hanger, Marina's jog slowed to a walk as she looked about for her ride.

"Ms. Oswell," A pilot said, coming up to her. "Are you ready for your flight."

The brunette merely shrugged as she followed him to the jet. "Not like I had much to do." _Or a choice _her mind echoed as they boarded the jet.

Within minutes, the bunker door had closed and the plane was rising up to the deck. "_Flight's a go. Bird 51 you have permission for take off." _a voice crackled over the intercom and the pilot took off; steering the jet down the runway before it lifted into the sky.

"We'll be to Russia in a matter of hours." The pilot informed Marina, and the brunette nodded though he couldn't see her.

_This is gonna be a blast_. Marina thought to herself as she mentally prepared herself. After all, they did have a deadly spider to pick up.

* * *

**_Alright_**_** folks, Chapter four has been successfully completed and I am pleased this story has received a fair amount of attention for having only been up two days. However, I am upset to say that no one has left me a review. :( Come on guys, I'm not blind. I've seen the numbers so pretty please leave me a review! I mean they not only make my day, but remind me in need to get on this cause there's people that care enough to actually tell me how I'm progressing in this and actually want to know what happens next. (Besides you guys who favorite and follow. Y'all are great too.)** **So hit that button and leave me something for the sake of what little sanity I have. **_

_**Review please?**_

_**~Angel **_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Hey Guys! Shockingly this didn't require to much to be done and it is shorter than the last to have been... Anywho I hope you enjoy it!_**

**_Welcome!_**

**_CVEmily, shiki ryuusaki, Fishpuppy, dyingdaisys, and StephanieLockedInTheTARDIS_**

**_And to, Munnin12 and S_****_tephanieLockedInTheTARDIS_**, thanks so much for being the first reviewers of this! It truly made my day that much better!

**_Disclaimer: I own anything that you don't recognize as Marvel's. _**

* * *

Natasha sighed as she waited for the Helijet to arrive. The mere _idea_ of being stuck in the same space as Marina Oswell really set her on edge. She already had to go and persuade one person, did she really have to babysit another?

Exhaling sharply, Natasha rubbed her temples. _No, Natasha, get a grip on yourself. Getting worked up isn't going to work out and will only make matters worse. As long as Oswell isn't there while you talk to Banner, this should go over swiftly and smoothly without failure._

Feeling better with her plan in mind, Natasha relaxed slightly and turned her gaze back towards the sky. Only a few minutes later the black ominous shape of a Helijet entered her field of vision. As it touched down on the ground, the grass wiped around and many of the small animals in the field scattered. Holding her hair back from her face, she waited patiently for the jet door to open.

Once it did, she schooled her expression into a blank mask before walking up the ramp and into the jet.

The lit interior was a difference compared the rapidly darkening sky and Natasha found she had to blink just a bit for her eyes to adjust. Surveying the cabin, she wasn't entirely surprised to find the multitude of agents inside; all equipped from head to toe for the task they were to face. However, she was still unsure about the purpose Oswell was to serve on this mission. If anything she'd just cause it to go south.

Noticing the brunette's move to speak, Natasha made sure to get her word in first.

Marina had to keep from laughing as she watched Natasha look about before assuming her place in the Helijet. The woman's emotions were far more amusing than she remembered; and while Natasha's expression was her normal blank one, Marina could easily detect her emotions, courtesy of Saachi. _Narrowed eyes and slight furrowing of brows means she's frustrated and confused by my presence; deep breaths indicating she's determined to keep her cool, …and a rather nice perfume…huh, didn't think she indulged herself._

Done with her emotional breakdown of the assassin, Marina opened her mouth to speak but the redhead beat her to it.

"Why are you here?" Why did she get the feeling this would be the question of the day?

"As a precaution," Marina answered simply with a shrug.

The redhead refrained from rolling her eyes, settling for a frown instead. "Oh? And how are you to be a precaution? It seems we are far better equipped than having you aboard."

"That is where you're sorely mistaken." Natasha's frown deepened.

"As far as I'm aware you're under my command in this, whether or not Fury wants you here as a precaution, and I don't want you getting in the way of our goal."

It took every living fiber in her body not to snarl. "Look I'll lay low. I'll stay out of your face, you'll stay out of mine and I will _listen _with my little pale ass outside. Does that work for you?" Natasha refrained from sighing.

"I think it's a very good idea."

* * *

Once the Helijet had landed, Marina could barely wait for the door to open. When they did though, she bolted out of the carrier, wasting no time in bounding through the surrounding forest. Trees and brush assaulted her body as she pushed them aside. Her wild instincts directing each step until she slowed down enough to know that all SHIELD operatives were far behind.

Taking a deep breath of open and unpolluted air, Marina rejoiced in the sounds of nature. Oh how she had missed them! From deep within her body, Saachi released a howl of agreement that bubbled up through her own throat and into the air. Reaching up, Marina took off the unstable molecule clips, getting rid of them and the awful buzzing noise they emitted. Of course she made sure to stick them into her pocket to prevent Stark from having a field day should he learn she had "lost" them.

Suddenly, Natasha's voice broke through from the communicator still hooked in her ear and shattered her serenity.

"_Whenever you're done sight-seeing, we'll be at the SHIELD house just on the outskirts of the town." _Natasha said.

With a roll of her eyes, she responded, "Got it and while I'm out _sight-seeing_ I'll be sure to send you the Doc. By the way, when he gets there, do try to make everything as inconspicuous as possible."

Pulling out the earpiece before Natasha could reply, Marina removed the communicator and tucked into the pocket of her shorts. Taking one last deep breath, she began to jog towards the town.

_It's gonna take me at least an hour if not more to find the Doc in this _maze_ they call a city . _Marina thought, remembering her own brief journey through Kolkata as scenery once again became blurred. After a few minutes she reached the city. Immediately; sights, sounds, and smells, all slightly familiar, bombarded her senses in one jumbled amount of chaos. Biting back a groan she face palmed. _What did I just sign myself up for?_

The streets overflowed with people as she walked among them. Around her, some of the buildings were in terrible shape and seemed to be crumbling with each passing second, even the night sky did little to hide the obvious disrepair. Vendors set up shop just about everywhere with food that tempted the stomach and artifacts that persuaded the eyes. Though the deeper she went into the lower city, the less the enchanting atmosphere of the upper city could sway her escalated senses.

Good portions of the people smelled from where they sat in alleys and just as many looked sick with disease. Guilt washed over Marina as she realized even when she'd been on the run for all those years, she had been far better off. Atop her head, the hood of her jacket fell over her face as her ears drooped. Shoving her hands in her pockets she continued walking forward.

Suddenly, someone ran into her.

Out of reflex, Marina grabbed the figure and steadied both of them after the impact. Looking down she saw it was a small girl with long black hair and a tan and green dress. The girl looked up at Marina, her eyes slightly widened with tears threatening to spill over.

"Please!" She cried tugging on Marina's hand. "_Please!"_

Slightly confused, Marina let the girl lead her forward. The girl led her through many alleys and streets until they came to a stop in front of a house. If it could be called that. It was more of a shack, though while larger than most, and appeared ready to cave at the next monsoon. The girl ran forward and ducked under the cloth covering the doorway. Cautiously, Marina followed and found the girl leaning over a smaller boy who was coughing badly.

"Doctor! He need doctor!" She cried in poor English.

Looking around, Marina realized this was where the good doc had been hiding over the past year. The smells of medicine, a little antiseptic and some old blood stung her nose. Glancing down at the girl, Marina sighed but nodded.

Sniffing the air, Marina walked over to a cabinet to revel many medicine bottles. Each one giving off a slightly different scent that filled her nose. Antiseptic, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Vicodin, Hydrocodone, and many others. Below the cabinet, a worn, brown book caught her attention. As she picked it up and flipped through it Marina realized Banner had used the book as a journal of sorts to categorize the diseases in Kolkata. Quickly flipping through the book and listening to the boy's body, she found what she was looking for and began comparing the medicine bottles with the words in the book.

"I got it!" She cried, grabbing the bottles and hurrying back over to the girl and her brother. Opening the bottles she dumped out the proper amount of capsules for older child and handed them to the boy. Realizing he was going to need water, Marina reached into the inside pocket of her jacket and pulled out the mini water bottle she always kept with her. "Take those and drink this."

Before Marina could show what she meant, the boy nodded and did as instructed. Between drinks of water he said, "Our father scholar. He teach us English. So, I know most what you say."

Marina nodded. "I see…can I ask a favor of your sister?"

The boy nodded. "You help us we help you now." Marina smiled lightly before taking a deep breath and asking her favor.

Medina and Abdul, as Abdul had introduced them, had agreed to Marina's favor rather quickly eager to help and without many questions. (even if it was leading the famous doctor to an abandoned house.) So while Medina ran off, with a bit of cash to the place where Marina remembered she had unwittingly caught a whiff of the doctors scent, Marina carried Abdul via piggy back as he gave her directions to their home. Along the way Medina caught up and Abdul explained that not only did his sister love to run but the doctor's house was much farther from their house than "Her" house.

When the little group reached their destination, Marina couldn't help but smile at the small reunion between parents and children despite the slightly suspicious looks she received. A few memories flashed through her mind yet she wouldn't allow them to deter her good mood. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out the medicine she had given Abdul earlier.

"Here," she said, handing them to the father. "The amount of what he needs is on the back and make sure he drinks lots of water."

The father took the medicine, his earlier look replaced with awe. "We cannot thank you enough for this. We are forever indebted-"

Marina held up her hand, a memory of Eric that entered mind. "Knowing he'll be alright is thanks enough, and there is no need for you to repay me in any way. It's only right to take care of those in need." The man smiled as Marina turned to go.

"Either way, be sure to stop in and say hello sometime."

A sliver of gratefulness rose in her chest. "Of course, I promise."

With that, Marina took off into the night. After all, she needed to be looking after the ridiculous people who thought they could take on the hulk.

* * *

_**And thus ends all renovations of the original to this story. Now it's time to get crackin on the next chapters! So please bear with me because gapes between chapters are going to start increasing as I try to come up with filler pieces, and Marina's place within the movie; it's all gonna take some extra elbow grease. Still, I hope you've all enjoyed it and don't forget to hit me up with a review! (Like seriously, review. Reviews=Love=Inspiration=faster updates.. In short REVIEW!) That's all for now folks!**  
_

_**Love yas!**_

_**~Angel**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Welcome aboard;**_

_**SerenityAngels, and Angi Marie**_

_**Muchas gracias for the reviews;**_

_**SniperKingSogeking0341, and StephanieLockedInTheTARDIS**_

_**Disclaimer: What's mine is mine and what isn't… well clearly it doesn't belong to me.**_

'_Ba—Bum' … 'Ba—Bum'._

Cool gray ears flickered towards the sound, a frown settling on pale lips.

'_Ba—Bum' … 'Ba—Bum'._

The light shuttering of an inhaled breath and then, "Stand down"; through cracked lids, green eyes watched as twenty or so agents lowered their weapons and stepped backwards. The whole affair was quite laughable to the by standing Marina (she swore one of them was using the tripod camera stand as a weapon), however, what could have just occurred drained all amusement from her.

"Just you and me?" A deeper voice questioned and Marina all but rolled her eyes. She knew what was really behind the inquiry; it was defense, a possible way out. That one, slightly sarcastic, remark would more than likely cause whoever you were asking to falter and question their actions. Hopefully Romanov wouldn't fall for it.

Leaning against a tree across the street, Marina fiddled with the ear clips in her jacket pocket—their pale glow reflecting on her fingers as they slipped between—debating the next move she should make.

Focusing all her attention on the little hut, Marina decided that if Natasha didn't speak soon, she'd have no choice but to step in before all hope of the doctor coming vanished. Her ears twitched as they picked up the sound of an unsteady exhale coming from the normally calm redhead. With a sigh, she ran a hand through her unruly hair and pushed off the tree. Snapping the clips into place as she strode across the dirt road, Marina was ready to ditch her beloved jacket: even though if only for the time being.

Shedding the object, she folded it neatly before shoving it in the arms of the closest agent. "Don't lose that!" Marina warned as she walked forward towards the building.

Stepping up to the door frame, she brushed away the coverings and ducked inside. Immediately, Natasha's head snapped towards her, and the doctor's attention quickly followed.

_Well, this is awkward. _Marina thought, suddenly wishing she hadn't left her jacket behind.

Shifting lightly on the balls of her feet, she looked towards the assassin.

"Um… Nat?" both girls equally surprised by Marina's use of Natasha's nickname. "I think you're gonna wanna leave this to me."

The redhead looked ready to protest, she was the one supposed to win over the doctor, but Marina quickly silenced her with a look that said _'don't push it.'_ Reluctantly, Natasha nodded and stepped around the other woman to exit the hut.

Off to the side, Bruce watched the silent conversation, unsure what to expect from this new person. While Romanov was leaving, he surveyed the brunette.

She was shorter than him, and rather slim. Her hair was rather messy with curls that stuck to the ends but created waves within the rest of the dark strands. She seemed rather normal and even relaxed of all things. As though she wasn't remotely perturbed to be in his presence alone; surely she knew that those flimsy guards outside would do nothing against the other guy?

Yet when his eyes met his he was startled to find the amount of emotion there, swirling throughout her deep green eyes. With a blink, all traces of feelings disappeared and the mysterious woman smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry about that." She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck.

Bruce returned the smile, albeit wryly. "That's fine, I honestly hadn't expected much less." His smile faltered when he realized she hadn't introduced herself. Apparently, she noticed to.

"I'm Marina Oswell by the way." She held out her hand.

The doctor took in her small and slender hand. It covered in hard callouses and littered with small scars that could easily be over looked. When her hand remained unwavering, Bruce found himself reaching out and shaking it, his eyes caught on to the other scars, varying in size, which speckled themselves up her arm.

Noticing his gaze, his gaze and the questions behind it, Marina retracted her arm; causing his eyes to shoot up to her own.

Clearing his throat, Bruce spoke, "So are you also here to try to get me to come willing to SHIELD, Ms. Oswell." Marina's nose scrunched as she frowned.

"That makes me sound like I'm an evil witch trying to lure you into my castle or something." Bruce couldn't help it, he cracked a grin. "And while I'd prefer it if you'd just call me Marina, I suppose the answer to your question is not really."

The grin faded from his face as Bruce became perplexed.

Seeing his face, Marina spoke, "You see, I wasn't even meant to really talk to you. Fury just kinda shipped me off here in case something happened; and something did, though definitely not in the sense he thought.

I'm gonna level here with ya doc, I think the whole coming' down here, armed with field agents, and an assassin who does a way better job at kicking ass and taking information is rather pointless. Frankly, I know how that feels and it so isn't a bottle of rum, more like the hangover the next morning if you ask me. So, I'll ask you flat-out, please come back with us to SHIELD. While Fury does actually have this big, huge ass, glass case, he's not gonna put you in it or try to tamper with the Hulk. If he does, I can personally guarantee I'll be the first one to wreak havoc on him cause that goes against the one thing that actually got me into SHIELD."

Bruce stared at her, gaze locked with hers as he tried to find something that would either convince him to stay or send him running. Her spiel had convinced him, that he couldn't argue with, particularly since she had told him there was a cage waiting should he need to be put in it but he needed reassurance. Their stare down lasted a while longer as he internally debated the pros and cons of going along with the entire shebang.

Finally, with a sigh, he relented and gave her a wry smile. "So, what exactly got a person like you to join into SHIELD?"

The grin he received proved that he had made the right choice.

With grin stretched across her face, Marina turned and gestured for Banner to follow her as she exited the hut. As they did, Natasha stood there arms crossed and her eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of the brunette behind her.

"Do we need to go and retrieve any of your things, Doctor Banner?" Natasha asked, the light shock she felt wearing off.

He shook his head and lifted the brown bag he had brought with him "I've got all I need in here."

The assassin nodded and gestured for all the agents to begin packing up, turning away from the pair in the process. As the two stood there, a lone agent approached, handed Marina here jacket before disappearing back into the mass of people.

Pleased to have her jacket back, she slipped it on despite the warm are and the look Bruce sent her way.

"Oy, Natasha," Marina called. "I'm gonna head back to the jet and take the doc along."

Natasha glanced at the petite woman and nodded as she turned away again.

"Well you saw the lady, ready to go?" Bruce merely stared at Marina before he sighed.

"As ready as I'm ever going to be I suppose."

Marina nodded in understanding as they set of through the forest behind the hut.

As they walked, Bruce voiced a thought that crossed his mind, "I couldn't help but noticed that you and Ms. Romanov aren't exactly on the best of terms."

"That's an understatement." Marina snorted, her eyes flickering over to meet her companion's for a moment. "Natasha haven't ever gotten along. But for everyone's sake, we manage to pull off civility to a certain extent." The doctor frowned, ducking under a branch as Marina continued forward.

"Why is that?"

"As agents-though I'm hardly put out in the field-it's mandatory that we can at least work together for the sake of a mission. However, our first mission together was keeping track of Tony Stark. Natasha though I wasn't needed since I was to make sure he didn't leave his house and she got pissed at me when he did. Plus, it probably doesn't help that Tony is pretty good friend of mine now after that whole affair and I also happen to be good friends with the man his 'loves'." Marina held up her hands in the air quote motion before chirping, "anywho, that's are drama, and this is our ride!"

Stopping in front of their transportation, Bruce frowned at their rather optimistic expectations.

"You want _me_ to board a jet for the next few hours that's a _small,_ _contained_ place filled with soldiers?" He asked, only to be met with a blank stare.

"Oh!" Marina cried, realizing what he was getting at.

Digging through her pockets, she brought out an iPod Nano and a pair of ear buds. Tech in one hand, she grabbed Bruce's sleeve with the other and tugged him up and into the Helijet.

"Sit down, and close your eyes." She commanded, not really paying attention as she looked for something on the Nano.

Heeding the first direction, Bruce sat down on a seat and chose to look around the cabin. As he looked towards the front, Marina slid into the seat next to him and frowned. Having the decency to look sheepish, the doctor smiled and shrugged before he closed his eyes when Marina's glare didn't let up. Suddenly, he felt the ear buds slip into place and before he could ask what she was doing, he could hear the playing of a piano accompanied by an acoustic guitar.

As the music continued on, Bruce felt himself relax, before he knew it the jet was taking off but the songs continued and lulled him into a sense of comfort throughout the ride. Her sense of music didn't seem to expanded far as the music changed from classical, to acoustic, to Celtic and folk; some with words and some without.

Yet when he chanced a glance out of the corners of his eyes, he saw Marina had it set on a playlist. As he looked up to her, he saw the slight discomfort in her body language as she tugged on the hood of her jacket. Unsure what else to do, he pulled out the left ear bud and waved it in front of her face; where he saw the smallest gracing of a smile as she grabbed the offered ear bud and moved to put it in her ear.

Of course he noticed how her hand moved up higher than it should have, but he figured she'd merely brushed her hair out-of-the-way.

Soon after that, the jet landed on the runway of a large ship out in the Atlantic Ocean. As one, everyone but Marina and Bruce stood to exit the Helijet.

"Well," Marina said, pulling out the ear bud and letting it drop into his lap as she stood. "I'm gonna get going. I'm in need of a shower and I've got a bone to pick with Fury, so if you'll excuse me."

Bruce frowned. "What about this?" He held up the Nano she had somehow managed to slip into his lap, to which she merely shrugged as she picked up his bag.

"Hang on to it for me will ya? I'll drop this off in the lab for you, so you don't have to worry about it, k?"

However, before Bruce could respond, Marina was already walking out of the jet, his bag in tow. With a slight frown and a shake of his head he too moved to exit the cabin.

If being surrounded by special agents didn't keep him on his toes, Marina Oswell certainly would be.

_**And voila! I have finished chapter 6, quite wonderfully if I do say so myself. (Which I do, Lol.) So whatch ya guys think? Good? Bad? What needs work among the characters? Anything? Let me know by clicking that absolutely wonderful review button down there and tell me yourself! For now though I'm gonna go pass out before my writing starts blending together as one. P.s. did I do a good job including what you guys wanted?**_

_**Later gators, **_

_**~Angel**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Glad that you're following;**_

_**Rtt, QueenCeleste349, and nekochan354**_

_**I love your reviews!**_

_**SerenityAngels, StephanieLockedInTheTARDIS, and Squ3akz**_

_**Disclaimer: Marina belongs to me, myself, and I and nothing else except the plot to an extent :p**_

Marina sat on her bed, clean and wearing fresh clothes. Towel on her head, she delicately dried her ears, while her green eyes locked onto the bag sitting in the corner of the room. Frankly, Marina wasn't even sure why she had bothered to take Banner's bag with her. Of course she planned on taking it to the lab like she promised, but her reasons for doing so befuddled her: mostly because there _weren't_ any reasons. She sighed, pulled the towel off, stood up, and pulled the hood of her jacket up. Dropping the towel onto the bed, Marina grabbed the bag before exiting her room.

Her thoughts continued as she slipped the strap onto her shoulder. Yet the harder she tried to come up with a reason for her uncommon politeness (unless of course, Erik had rubbed off on her more than she had thought), her thoughts merely left her with displeasing migraine. Coming to the lab, she banished her thoughts as she dumped the bag on one of the tables. Besides, what use is there uselessly scrounging for an answer when you already knew there wasn't one? Shrugging, she continued her journey towards the bridge.

Upon arriving at her destination, Marina stepped through the automatic doors and made her way towards the table just as the Helicarrier lurched up into the air. Sidling up next Steve, she nudged his arm and was rewarded with a small smile.

"You look kinda antsy, Cap." Marina whispered while they watched Fury direct everyone to send the ship into stealth mode.

Steve glanced at the brunette as he crossed his arms. "This whole thing just isn't sitting right with me." He paused, confused. "What exactly is stealth mode for this transport?"

"Reflector planes, covering the bottom, portray the Helicarrier as a part of the sky."

Nodding, Steve uncrossed his arms and reached into his back pocket for his wallet. Pulling out a ten, he walked forward and handed it to Fury before walking past. Snickering behind her hand, Marina smirked at Cap who sheepishly smiled back with a shrug.

"Once we get our hands on the Tesseract, you're in the clear." Marina's ears twitched, tuning into the conversation going on around the area.

She heard Bruce walk away from the outskirts of the debriefing center. "Where are you with that?"

Turning her head, Marina focused in on Phil as Steve came to stand behind him. "We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet. Cellphones, laptops, if it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

"That's still not gonna find them in time." Natasha pointed out.

Marina frowned as the conversation continued on. While none of this was her area of expertise, it was clear she wouldn't be needed. At least not until damage, people, and utter chaos was out of any form of control. Tugging on the hood of her jacket, Marina moved to go hide away in her little alcove until her presence was needed.

"Agent Oswell," Fury called, stopping the brunette in her tracks.

Marina turned back. "Yes, sir?"

"I want you to keep the doctor company, help him out in anyway if you can. Try not to bite, or threaten to rip someone's vocal cords out." Marina chuckled as Fury glanced at her. "Also, I know you have some intel as to what Dr. Selvig was doing; so don't bother playing innocent with me."

Not even bothering to deny the accusation, Marina simply shrugged and flashed a wolfish grin in the director's direction as she followed Natasha and Bruce off the bridge.

They didn't speak for hours; not even once (or at least not to each other). Bruce had taken to mumbling to himself as he worked while Marina had her head in her arms on the counter next to him: listening to every sound that echoed in the room. Between the combined sounds of Bruce; working, breathing, and the tap of his fingers against the screen, all were slowly working to lull the hybrid to sleep.

"This could take days without the proper signature." Bruce muttered a bit louder than before, running a hand through his hair.

Turning her head so one green eye peered through curled tresses; Marina watched as the doctor pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge between his eyes. Unsure what to do, she remained in her position until her ears picked up on the light growl of the other occupants stomach. Feeling her own grumble in response, Marina chuckled.

"Wouldn't it be great," she mused, catching Bruce's attention. "If Domino's© air delivered? That would make being here so much more bearable."

"And fattening." The doctor conceded. "Yet, pizza sounds oddly appealing right now, which is a shame I don't think they planned on feeding us anything other than military food."

Marina lifted her head as she spoke her current thought train slowly, "actually… we may be able to snag some of the bread dough they keep in the mess hall. They always make too much anyway just in case. So if some went missing I doubt they'd notice or even care. "She grinned mischievously. "Plus it's not like they wouldn't mind_ accommodating us." _Bruce shook his head with a small smile, and Marina knew she had gotten him to relax slightly.

"Are you usually this devious?"

The female's grin grew until a wicked glint sparkled in her eyes; "only mostly."

.

Marina was pleasantly surprised when she managed to conjure a light chuckle out of her accomplice pleased to a successfully managed to receive one again just outside the doors of the mess hall. If she knew this was how he would have reacted, she'd have spoken sooner. However; people generally ignored her antics as they tended to include her overbearing sarcasm, and playfulness. (Then again she was surrounded by agents who _didn't have time_ for humor: unless it was Erik who quite enjoyed it; Clint, only indulged on occasion; Coulson rarely let himself be entertained while he was "working"; or Tony or Steve, both of whom she rarely had the pleasure to talk with or be around.) Marina paused in her thoughts and nodded in conclusion as the door before them opened.

"Care to let me in on your little space cadet moment?" Bruce asked, bringing her back to the present.

Walking into the large room, Marina spread her arms wide in a kind of grand gesture. "Prepare to be amazed!"

"Is pizza going to magically appear?" Bruce mused, clearly amused by the woman's antics.

"No, though that would definitely be the second most mind-blowing thing."

"The first being?"

"A few people within shield have sense of humor-more or less."

Bruce cocked an eyebrow. "Really now?"

"Yes." Marina nodded in all seriousness as she slipped around into the kitchen. "Though for some reason those that do have accepted me to different extents, every single one of them is a guy and I'm finding myself in desperate need of a female companion."

The doctor shifted as he followed her causing her to wonder if she had misjudged something or if the information she displayed was too personal for their sort-of-relationship. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Marina turned and began looking for the dough as she scrounged up some way to save the lively atmosphere that was quickly dissipating into an awkward one.

Spotting the object of her search, she grabbed for it like a life line only for her hands to freeze when Bruce spoke first.

"I'm sorry, "He murmured, having noticed her sudden desperation. "I suppose that I've been without a friend for so long that I wasn't aware how to react to such a proposition."

Shocked, Marina spoke the one word she could manage, "Friend?"

He shrugged. "The last people I considered friends I left again for a final time about four years ago."

Marina pulled the large bowl out and set it on the counter as silence engulfed them for a moment. Reaching up, her hand traveled underneath her hood and brushed against her ears. "You don't plan on going back?"

"I could never do that." He shook his head. "No, it'd be better if I just let them live their lives normally without me running in and out of them."

Torn between hugging him and doing nothing, the hybrid hesitantly reached out and lightly dropped her hand onto the doctor's shoulders. As he looked up, she gave him a smile that she hoped conveyed her empathy for his situation.

"Well, if you ever need some friends with not so normal lives, I'm always willing to have more people in my life and I'm sure Tony will beg you to join him in that tower of his."

Bruce gave a wry chuckle and copied her previous action, "I think... that would be nice."

Giving him a wide smile, they dropped their arms as she turned back to the fridge and began pulling out items for their pizza.

"So dear _friend_," she drawled her grin as cheesy as the dairy product she just fished from the refrigerators' depths. "Have you ever made a pizza before?"

"Not since I was a teenager." Bruce admitted cracking a grin. "Have you?"

Marina shook her head while she grabbed a can opener and other various "pizza making" utensils. "Not exactly, I watched as my first friend tried to show me how and I didn't really participate as I was _far_ to entertained watching him get sauce everywhere." Her eyes sparkled in excitement.

"Then this will be quite the experience for both of us."

The two of them rolled up their sleeves in preparation for the task to come. Sharing a laugh, they began possibly the messiest pizza making attempted along with a new found friendship.


End file.
